Dare You to Move
by oliviaanne3
Summary: September begins National Suicide Prevention Month. Two years after Kurt Hummel kills himself, a boy named Blaine hears his story. It stays with him, and Blaine's life will never be the same when he founds The Kurt Hummel Plan. At the National convention, Blaine is in for a shock when someone tells him the reason he can't get Kurt off his mind. Full summary inside! It Gets Better!
1. Welcome to the Fallout

**A/N: Hey guys, so this is the story that I've been asking you guys about and telling you about. It's something that has just kinda stuck with me, and is pretty much writing itself. But it will be an interesting process, most likely slow, because this story is close to my heart. I already have a plot line mapped out, but I'm going to let the story speak for itself. Ideas came from To Save A Life movie, Hero by Superchick, and How to Save a Life by The Fray. If you've never heard the songs or seen the movie, I urge you to. It can all be found on Youtube.**

**Full Summary:**

Story Summary: Two years after Kurt Hummel kills himself, a boy named Blaine Anderson hears his story. Something about it touches Blaine, and thoughts of the boy won't leave his head. He decides to create awareness for the boy, and founds The Kurt Hummel Plan, providing assistance to gay teens being bullied. But at one of the national conventions, he figures out exactly why Kurt's story leaves a sinking feeling in his gut.

**Thanks to Elisahpfreak for taking a look at the plot and summary for me. I love you girl! You're awesome!**

**The purpose of this story is not merely for fun. It's to raise awareness. September begins National Suicide Prevention Month, and I urge you all to take a stand and save a life. Life is precious. Don't waste it! You've only got one shot. If you, or someone you know is thinking about suicide, tell someone. Privacy is not worth a life lost. There are plenty of people who would love to talk to you, and I'm speaking from one of them. Send me a message. I'm always here to talk because guys, I've been there. I've been all the way to that side and back, and the turning point was the day I told someone what I was feeling. Don't wait. Tomorrow could be one day too late. I love all you guys very much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that seems familiar.**

**Always remember to smile!**

**Olivia**

* * *

After climbing from the brunette's mother's minivan, both boys raced to the swings. When one tripped, the other slowed enough until he could catch up. When one boy swung higher than the other, the other would always slow until they were level again. That was their relationship, always waiting for each other, always sticking by each other's sides. They promised to always be there, and they always were, until the day that they weren't, and lives were changed forever.

%%%

"Hey look! There goes the fag again!" Jacob shouted down the hall. Kurt heard them coming and quickly ducked into the nearest classroom. It didn't mean that the problem would be avoided. They would find him. They always did. Kurt sank to the ground and buried his head in his arms. He drowned out the voices, praying to a God he didn't believe in that they wouldn't come any closer. But if Kurt Hummel was anything, it was unlucky. He heard the footsteps, around four jocks it sounded like, and prepared himself for "The Daily Welcome to School Beatings" as he had come to call them. The door flung open and in stepped not four, but five huge, towering jocks. Jacob was in the front, closely followed by his main wingman and best friend Blaine. They were always the worst. Blaine never beat him, but the taunting was enough from anyone any day. Before Kurt could blink, Jacob had punched him in the stomach. Then it was Fisher, who pulled his hair. Then it was Harrison, who punched him again. Last but not least was Jeremy. Jeremy was always the worst. It was a cycle, and a vicious one at that. Kurt was sick of it all. He was sick of the day to day beatings. He was getting tired of fighting back. What good was fighting back when you knew you would never win?

%%%

Blaine watched and laughed, high fiving Jeremy when Kurt was knocked back to the ground. These were his best friends, and they were awesome. They all were on the wrestling team together. Blaine had joined wrestling after his brother left. When Cooper left, Blaine needed to fight. He would have loved to do boxing, or something like it, but his school didn't offer it. Only wrestling. So that was what he joined, and where he met his best friends. He tried to block memories from when Cooper was still around, because it made it too hard to come back to the reality of Cooper hating his guts because he was gay. Blaine had only ever come out to one person in his life, his brother, because he had thought he could trust him. And that had worked out so well. Cooper left and hadn't called since.

"Nice one Jere. Alright guys, that's the bell. Let's leave this freak to be." All four boys gave Kurt one last kick and Blaine followed them out, without a glance back.

He saw Kurt again later that day, in the class he had with Jacob and Harrison. The three boys had chemistry with Kurt and swore to make it a living hell. Blaine made paper airplanes filled with dirty words and derogatory phrases and words that he knew would hurt Kurt. It made him feel better, honestly, because by him picking on the only out kid in the school, his friends had no chance to guess that he could possibly be hiding out behind the coats in the closet.

He threw the first paper airplane. "Hey queer, catch this!" He whisper shouted two rows up. He could see the airplane hit Kurt and the boy slouch over, trying to avoid any more. Blaine threw another one. "Why do you dress like a girl so much, huh? Is it just to match your voice?" Kurt's ears turned bright red. The teacher was oblivious, sleeping at her desk in the back of the room. Public school was such a waste of time. The teachers didn't care, the administration didn't care, the students didn't care. Blaine was so ready to get out. But he was just a sophomore. Two more years in a hell-hole called high school.

%%%

Everything hurt. Kurt cringed at the thought of more abuse. He could die, right here, right now. This time the teasing was about Glee Club. Kurt was ready to quit that too. It was all too much. Way too much. Even the kids from Glee were refusing to walk with him now, because he brought out special unwanted attention. Kurt shrugged it off like it didn't matter, but every time Blaine threw another insult at him, another paper airplane full of hate mail, Kurt's heart broke again. As if the physical abuse wasn't enough, just hearing his ex-best friend's voice insulting anyone, let alone him, was enough to make him want to cry. And he did, a lot.

He did that afternoon, as his mom picked him up from school. He got in the car and saw her eye him up and down, knowing she knew he had changed clothes.

"How bad?" she asked, pulling out of the parking lot. Kurt pulled his legs up into the seat and curled into the smallest size he could manage. The tears slowly slipped down his cheeks and he just shook his head as an answer. "Ice cream it is then." His mom reached out and laid her hand on his back comfortingly. Her hair was almost back to its original length now. After a rough bought with breast cancer two years back, she was beginning to look like herself again. Kurt was glad. The thought of losing his mom in the midst of all the teasing, Kurt would probably have died with her. His dad, Burt, was great too, he was always very understanding, but not like Elizabeth. She always picked him up from school, hugging him through the worst days, and being the best mom he could ever have asked for.

"It was bad. I'm so sick of it Mom." Kurt whispered.

"I know baby. I know. Just remember, have courage. Refuse to be the victim, because you're strong baby boy. One day, they'll all work for you." Kurt nodded.

"Can I have the double chocolate chip today?" Kurt asked.

"Only if you let me have a bite." Elizabeth joked, tussled his hair and turning up the radio, which was turned to a station that played Beatles every day at three. They were her favorite, and Blackbird was their favorite song. Every day they would sing it, sometimes driving around the neighborhood an extra time just to hear it play. His mom was his best friend, and no matter how bad things got at school, she always knew how to cheer him up.

%%%

"Mom? Dad? Anyone home?" Blaine flung the door open. No reply. A flash of white on the table caught his eye and he stepped over and snatched it up.

_Meetings til dark. Dinner on your own._

_Heather_

Blaine sighed and leaned up against the wall, sliding down until he was on the floor. It would be just like his mom to sign her name as Heather. Not even Mom. Never Mom. He had been blessed with hard working parents. Hard working parents that may or may not actually love him and want him around. Blaine was tired of fighting them. Didn't matter anymore.

The next morning was Friday. Thank God it's Friday. It took him a second to realize that it wasn't his alarm clock that had awoken him. It was his dad.

"William!" Blaine inwardly rolled his eyes.

"For the last time _Dad_, just call me Blaine." Blaine rolled over and sat up.

"I will call you the name your mother and I gave you. Pay attention. I got transferred. They want me out there by Monday, so this is your last day. Have your things packed up by seven pm tonight."

"Woah woah woah. Dad. Where is 'out there'?" Blaine questioned, fully awake now.

"Clarksburg, West Virginia. Seven pm William, and not a second later." Blaine sighed and watched his father leave. He punched the pillow in frustration. That means that he would have to miss school today in order to get everything together. Damn him.

%%%

All Kurt knew, was that Blaine was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

* * *

**So guys, what'd you think? Intense? I'm so excited for where this is going, and I hope you'll all join me for the ride. :)**

**I'm here for you. If you are the victim of bullying, or contemplating suicide, message me right now. I can remind you of a hundred reasons why life is beautiful. It gets better. I promise it does. I'm always here. You've got someone on your side. :)**

**Olivia**


	2. Redemption Has Stories to Tell

**A/N: Alright guys, I hit inspiration, so here it is! Chapter two! There is a very large time jump in this chapter, three years, but I hope everything still makes sense to you. Please review with what you think! Let me know if you, liked it, hated it, want me to throw my laptop away and never write again...I just want to hear from you! I love each and every one of you dear readers!**

**Thanks to writingmemories, cold kagome, and elisahpstarkid for your reviews on the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I still haven't hacked Ryan's computer, so no Glee for me. :(**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Three years later…**_

"Blaine? It's seven am! Get your butt out of bed! It's time for school!" Blaine rolled over and pulled the pillow to cover his mother's shouts.

"Alright I'll be up in a minute."

Twenty minutes later Blaine rolled out of bed and got ready for school. Life had been alright since the move. It had been great actually. Blaine's first mission after the move was to officially come out to his parents, and the kids at his new school. If the move had taught him anything, it was that he was tired of hiding. He was tired of lying to everyone. His parents hadn't taken it very well, but he had found his place at the new school and his friends accepted him with open arms. After sophomore year, Blaine decided he had his fill of bullying. He was ready to change his life. That meant dropping contact with all his old friends, even Jacob and Harrison. Which, wasn't too hard seeing as after news got to them that Blaine was gay, they had refused to call him back. Yes, life was good for Blaine.

Getting up twenty minutes later than he should have hurt Blaine in the long run. It made him miss his favorite part of his morning ritual, watching the morning news. He had recently been converted as a local news junkie, and when he was feeling crazy, even watched the national news. He loved the idea that drama couldn't only be found in his crazy roller coaster of a life, but also in everyone else's. But because of his utter and complete laziness, Blaine would be out of the local loop all day. He heard his "time to leave for school" alarm go off. Running down the stairs tying the last of his bowtie, he grabbed the newspaper off the counter and threw it in his bag. Maybe he'd get a chance to read it during his free period.

Blaine sighed. Another day in the same mundane environment. Senior year was great, don't get him wrong, especially better than the past two years. There was something about being so close, so close to being the end, to finally getting out of this town, that made Blaine excited enough not to skip the classes he had left, like the rest of his friends. He was determined to make the most of his last few weeks. After doing a complete turnaround with his life, Blaine had vowed to make the most of it.

His literature teacher had posed a question to them the week before for a free response essay. The topic was, "Be the change you wish to see in the world. –Gandhi. As teenagers about to enter the real world, it is important that you care about something bigger than just yourself. If you had the funds and opportunity to change the world, what would your mission be?" Some of his friends had moped and griped and complained, but Blaine had already formulated his topic and thesis. The topic was something that he thought about often. Being a change that you wished to see, it meant something to him. Blaine didn't want his legacy to be just that of Blaine. He wanted to be remembered for something big. For doing something important with his life. He had but one life to give, and he was determined not to waste it. The move was his second chance, and he was going to make the most of it. That night, Blaine finished his essay.

_Grieving._

_Sadness and utter pain._

_They say that time heals all wounds, but for them nothing would ever be the same._

_Two years later, and the pain stung as much as that first shot._

_Not in their darkest dreams had they ever thought._

_What had they missed?_

_Where had they failed?_

_When had he begun to slip away?_

_Questions left unanswered, and now, they never would be._

_Two years later, and they still had nothing to say._

"Blaine? Would you like to share your essay? You received the highest mark in the class, and I personally thought your essay was very moving." Mrs. Brittleworth, Blaine's literature teacher asked. Blaine rocked back and forth on his heels, contemplating. He was friends with most of the people in his class, respected by many, but he wasn't sure if they would get it. Not that he thought they would laugh, but it was more of a personal experience thing, you had to know what you were talking about. Then he felt that voice in the back of his head. Wasn't this what you wanted? A chance to spread awareness? So he nodded to his teacher and took his essay back to his seat.

"Alright class! Listen up! I have graded your make a change essays, and I have them ready to be handed back to you. The grades were mostly good, and several of you had some very inspiring stories to tell. But there was one essay that struck me as being extremely well written and thorough, and I've asked him to share it with the rest of you. So, Blaine, are you ready?" Blaine nodded, gathered his nerves, and stood, stepping across the classroom to the podium. He felt his heart jump, and took a deep breath before beginning.

"I'm gay. The first time I said those words, it was to my older brother Cooper. Everyone always thinks that your family will always be there for you, no matter the events or circumstances. That's their job, it's what families do, they help each other through the hard times. This is what I believed when I came out to my older brother. But he proved me wrong. The first thing he did was call me a faggot, then he left. My brother left on the first plane he could find and hasn't spoken to me since. Everyone thinks that their family has to always be there for them no matter what. That wasn't true in my case…

"I'm gay. It's not a character trait. It doesn't define me, or who I am. It's simply the way I love. I'm not that different from you. So why does society chose to label me? Why does society chose to set me apart from everyone else? I'm not that different from you. I like football, hate math, and enjoy listening to music and driving my truck through the mud. Discrimination hurts. So why do it?

"I'm gay. These are words spoken from people every day. People who are brave enough to admit to something they can't change. But when the only people you feel have to support you no matter who you are turn their backs against you, where do you turn? Where did I turn? I turned to bullying. I began to pick on other gay kids in my school. I shrank back further in the closet because the one person I told turned on me. Why would I risk telling even more people? I insulted kids, I called them names, I did everything to them that I was scared of happening to me. I'm ashamed. I'm humiliated. I used to hate myself for it. I hated the face I saw in the mirror, because I only saw half of it. I wish that I had had somewhere else to turn when I felt betrayed, a safe place that I could go and tell someone my secret, without their judging. I didn't have that. I wasn't suicidal, not yet, so calling The Trevor Project seemed like a joke. I just hated myself and the person I had become.

"I'm gay. When I moved here, these were the first words I told some of you. I figured there was no use in trying to be friends if you were going to leave me out in the cold the second I let it slip. But much to my surprise, you didn't. I've made some of the best friends I'll ever have here. You guys didn't care that I was different. I had it great here, the best case scenario. But I can't help but to think about what it would have been if things had been different. What if there was no safe haven here? Those other kids, that's their reality every day. So that's my mission. I want to create a safe place for them. A place where they can turn when things get rough. Someplace that's always accepting. A place that I didn't have.

"I'm gay. But that is simply the way I love. That word no longer defines me, because I don't let it. Bullying is a real problem here. Whether it be physical, verbal, or cyber, it doesn't matter. When you make a person feel alone, unwanted, or unimportant, that's bullying. And I've learned that it isn't just those who do the bullying that are the bad guys. It's also those who stand by and do nothing, those who see it happening and turn their eyes away. You are the ones who that victim looks to for help. You are the ones who fail him. You are the ones he feels betrayed and hurt the most by. Do you ever have a feeling that something's just not right? Do something. I dare you. I dare every single one of you to make a move. Change a live, change the world. Bring the bullying, and the ignorance of bullying to a stop. I dare you to make a move. I dare you to move."

Blaine took a deep breath as the applause started and he saw the smiling faces of his classmates. He looked to the back and saw the nod of approval from his teacher. Blaine blushed slightly, and took his seat. Mrs. Brittleworth stood and took her place at the front of the class again.

"Alright class. Wasn't that excellent? Now, the bell will ring in a few minutes, so I want you all to take out your notebooks and write down your assignments. Based on whatever you wrote your essay on, I want you to find a news article from the last ten years and bring it to class on Friday. It needs to be an actual article guys, so this could require a little effort on your part. But this is part of our unit on Change and how we as a culture of people are changing." The bell interrupted her speech. "Alright! Bye guys, see you on Friday!" As Blaine stood to exit the room, Mrs. Brittleworth approached him again.

"Blaine, I meant to ask you earlier, but I was wondering if you would mind me sending in a copy of your essay to the newspaper. The editor asked me to send in a favorite and inspirational one, and I would like to send them yours. Is that alright?"

"Um, uh sure thing." Blaine stammered.

"Alright. Well the story will probably print next week, as they wanted to do a short article on you and who you are as well. So I need you to, along with your article from class, bring in a few old pictures for the article on Friday. Think you can handle that?"

"Sure. Thanks Mrs. B."

"No Blaine, thank you. You're going to do something big with your life Blaine. I can tell."

Blaine left class smiling that day.

* * *

**So? How do you like this Blaine? Better than the one of the last chapter, right? In order to keep the chapters around the same length, I had to cut out some of the speech I had written for Blaine. I tried to keep the important parts that really help explain who Blaine is now. If you have interest in reading the whole speech, leave me a review and let me know and I can send it to you in a pm. I've already written the nxt chapter, but I don't want to get all writer's block on you guys, so it will be a few days before the next one is posted.**

**Remember that you are loved, and it gets better! Always remember to smile!**

**Olivia**


	3. Everybody's Watching You Now

**A/N: So would you look at that? Another chapter for my lovelys. I just love you all. :)**

**Thanks to _Writing memories, whatmakesyoubeautiful101, Nurse Kate, cold kagome, and MalLovesKlaine_ for reviewing on the last chapter. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this. It's been an interesting one to write, that's for sure. Today begins September. Remember what September is. Be an encouragement to others, because you never know what they're facing. A smile can cover a million pains.**

**I still don't own Glee. I like to pretend I do, and I'm goign to be Ryan Murphy for Halloween, but I still have no rights.**

**Enjoy!**

**Always remember to smile!**

**Olivia**

* * *

Dust. There was dust everywhere. His parents weren't big on memories, so Blaine was willing to bet money that these boxes hadn't been touched since the move. Maybe even before that. Blaine lifted a sheet from what looking like a chest and shook it off. Coughing and sputtering, Blaine waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the air. Bingo! It was the old chest full of scrapbooks and photo albums. There must have been something in here. Blaine clenched his teeth together as he pushed past the ten scrapbooks with Cooper's name stitched across the top. Just solid proof that Blaine was the least of his parent's affections. At the very bottom he found a single scrapbook with his name scrawled across the top. Upon opening it, Blaine saw his smiling chubby face looking at the camera. His curls had overtaken his entire head, but it was as if he could hear his mom's laugh, see his father's tiny smile as he shuffled papers at the kitchen table, bringing work home once again. Blaine took that picture out and sat it off to the side. Then he flipped the page. There were only three other pictures in the scrapbook, and after that, nothing.

Empty pages were all he amounted to in his parent's mind. Too ashamed to admit to what Blaine was, so they stopped trying to cover it up and just didn't mention him at all. Blaine remembered being sent upstairs at one of his parent's dinner parties, moments before the doorbell rang.

"_So, is your son around?" Blaine heard the voices ask._

"_No, Cooper decided to stay at college this weekend."_

"_Oh. I'm sorry. It must be awful quiet in this big house all by yourselves." Blaine held himself back from busting into the room and shouting, "Hey look! They aren't alone! They have another son!" But he didn't. _

"_Sometimes. But everything is so busy and excited when Cooper comes home. Our family is complete." Blaine kept quiet, the only signs he had heard were the silent tears running down his cheeks._

Blaine grimaced and shoved the stupid empty book to the side, wiping his face at the surprise onslaught of tears. He took a few deep breaths and smiled. He was okay. It didn't matter if his parents didn't like him, or if his brother refused to speak with him ever again. Blaine was strong enough to make sure he was okay. He would be fine.

Blaine pushed the books off to the side and continued sorting through the chest. He found lots of his and Cooper's baby clothes, birthday cards, all the usual stuff that parents would keep of their children's childhood. Blaine smiled as he saw just as many of his clothes as there were Cooper's. His parents had loved him, at one point. Before everything had changed.

When they made the move three years ago and Blaine made his fresh start, coming out meant admitting it to his parents too. That was one of the hardest parts. Blaine's parents were never violent towards their children. No, Blaine's dad was much too high up on the social ladder in his company to use violence towards his children. He couldn't afford bad press. But rather than make visible bruises on his son, his father settled for the silent treatment. He didn't speak to Blaine for months, wouldn't even talk about him to Blaine's mother. Blaine had had to adapt to a new area and school and to new people without any help from his parents, but it seemed as if he had done a pretty good job.

Digging deeper, the items got older, and Blaine's memories got fuzzier. He thought he had hit the bottom when his hand brushed up against a smaller box, hidden deep in the corner of the chest. It was wrapped in newspaper and sealed up tight, but it lacked the dust that was woven into the rest of the things, as if it had recently been touched or moved. Blaine lifted it form the dark depths of the chest and sat it down beside him. All sounds around him drowned out as he stared at the box, with nothing identifying it but a simple scrap of paper labeled, "Hummel."

Who was Hummel? Why did they get a box? Why was it in the chest? Years ago, this would have been something Blaine and Cooper would have tried to solve together. But Cooper was long gone, and Blaine was left alone to solve the puzzle. He began by slowly tearing the newspaper covering off of the box. Then Blaine lifted the top off and stared into a box of memories.

The first thing he saw was a newspaper article. An obituary. Blaine sat it aside. He didn't want to read anything like that right now. The next things were pictures. Tons of pictures of three boys, two Blaine recognized as himself and Cooper, but the other one was a mystery. Was this Hummel? The rest of the pictures were filled with some variation of the three, but the most were of Blaine and the mystery boy. At the bottom of the stack there was a picture of his parents, Blaine and Cooper, and two other parents, with the same little boy. He had a slightly girlish look to him, the way his hair was styled, and the way he was so fashionably dressed. He looked like one of the kids old Blaine might have picked on for being too flamboyant, or spreading his fairy dust around the school. But this Blaine sat, looking at the two families, and wondering who they were, and why they were so important.

Blaine slipped the photos back in the box, accidentally dropping a few in the process. Upon picking them up, Blaine flipped them over and found his mother's scrawled cursive on the back. On a picture of Blaine and the mystery child it read, "Blaine and Kurt, age 4." So the boy was named Kurt. It suited him, Blaine thought. A pretty child deserved a pretty name. But why had Blaine never heard of Kurt? Blaine flipped over the family picture and found more writing. "Burt, Elizabeth, and Kurt Hummel, Darryl, me, Cooper and Blaine, summer 1997." So these were the Hummel's. Why were they so important?

Blaine's watch beeped, meaning it was five minutes until dinner time. His parents were always so precise about dinner. Everything and everyone were to be sitting at the table when the clock struck six, and Blaine's father walked in the door. Blaine quickly shoved everything back into the Hummel box, ready to solve the mystery at a later date, when he remembered the obituary he had sat behind him. Blaine's fingers found the old newspaper and began to sit it on top when he read the name. He felt his heart sink, and his breath escape in one giant exhale. Fingers trembling, he read on.

_Kurt Hummel, age 16, passed away at his home on Saturday, August 17__th__. Hummel was a student at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. He is survived by his parents, Burt and Elizabeth Hummel and four grandparents. Cause of death is still undetermined. Funeral arrangements are being made._

Wait, what? Kurt was, dead? Something was missing, and Blaine was determined to find out. But first, it was time for dinner.

* * *

**So? What'd you think? I've got interesting things planned for this story, and I hope you guys will stick with me. Love you all! Please review and give me feedback. I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking, or anythign that this story is reminding you of. What are your stories? Have you ever been in Kurt's place? Or in Blaine's? Tell me about it. Remember I'm always here if you ever need to chat. :)**

**Olivia**


	4. FROM AUTHOR PLEASE READ

Hi. Remember me? Of course not, because it's been months since I've posted anything. And for that I'm sorry. I'm not going to try to make excuses for my absence, or promises that things will get faster, because I don't know if I can keep them. All I can tell you is that I lost my heart for writing for a little while. I hated everything I wrote. I still do sometimes. But I've been working at it, trying to get back in the grove of things.

It's my senior year. I'm graduating in a mere four months and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. And that's a scary thing. I got into college, all four I applied to actually. Senior year is a crazy thing.

And I'm also very sad to inform you that not all of my stories can be updates right now. As of this moment, I have new stuff for Dare You to Move and Darkest Before the Dawn. Angel by Your Side is on hold. Kurt says Goodbye is discontinued. (Up for adoption, message me for details.) Eventually I'll get back to it. But as for now, I hope you enjoy what I'm posting.

I love you all so very much. You guys are the reason that I've gotten back to writing. You've been so faithful. I still get reviews of my stories, asking for more, or favorites and follows of stories I had lost inspiration for. You never gave up, so neither will I.

Ps, it's the same note on all my stories. You don't have to read them all.


	5. Where You Gonna Go?

**A/N: Hey guys, so this is one of the few new things I actually did write. I've had this written for a little while, but wanted to have something else before I posted it. That's partly why it took so long. But that didn't really work... so, here is the next part of Dare You to Move. You may have to go back to the alst chapter to recall what was happening. I would write a little something to clue you in, but I don't really remember either, and it's late here. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Save a Life, Dare You to Move by Switchfoot, or any of the characters you recognize.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Silverware scraped across plates, the silence biting at Blaine after his discovery. He had to ask, but how does one just bring up a subject like that? "Hey Mom and Dad, I was snooping in the attic, and I found an obituary for this kid that was my age and a bunch of pictures of us together? Who the heck is he?" No. That wouldn't go over well. Maybe straightforward would be best. Maybe he just shouldn't bring it up at all. But if he didn't, the curiosity might just kill him. This was real life. It may feel like some sort of movie or spy TV show, but obviously something had gone down with this family, and their past together. Why had Kurt died? Who was Kurt Hummel?

"Excuse me?" Blaine heard his dad say. Blaine jerked his head around sharply. Had he said that last part out loud? Well, no time better than the present.

"I said, who was Kurt Hummel?" Blaine made direct eye contact with his father, knowing that he was more inclined to answer that way. But the fury in his father's eyes was unmistakable. Blaine watched as his knuckles turned white and he gripped the edge of the table. Blaine's mother had gone quiet as well, her gaze stuck on the patterned tiles of the floor.

"Where did you hear that name?" Blaine's father finally muttered. Blaine tried to think fast.

"I…I had to do some research online and the name popped up. He used to live in our town. Did you know his family?" Blaine was thankful that he had taken so many acting classes and been in so many school musicals. It was helping him to keep a straight face now instead of blushing as he lied. Blaine's mom still hadn't looked up from the floor, but Blaine could see the way she held the crumpled napkin in her hands, her knuckles close to white.

"We saw them in passing in town. Didn't know them very well, not well enough to attend the funeral obviously. But it was years ago. It's over and done with. Don't bring it up again William." Blaine sighed. His father's answer had been nothing short of evasive. Blaine, having seen the pictures, knew that he had been lying, but felt powerless. He knew the punishment for defiance. He knew what would happen if Blaine tried to ask again. He knew- Blaine felt the breeze as the chair beside him pushed back and his mom stood. Blaine whipped his head up and saw his mother quickly leave the table, excusing herself. But not before Blaine saw her red rimmed, tear filled eyes. Yes, his mother remembered. But how to get her to admit the truth? Blaine was clueless. The rest of the dinner between Blaine and his father continued in silence, no other words being spoken.

%%%

Blaine's questioning had affected the whole family in different ways. After dinner, Blaine had snuck upstairs to grab the box from the chest and take it to his room, where he sat on his bed and sorted through everything. He put the pictures in date order and all the papers in a different pile. Blaine curled up with his pillows and leafed through them. Nothing made sense. Why did he have no memory of this Kurt? Had they gone to school together? Blaine cursed himself. He had done such a good job of blocking out every memory of his old life, the life where he was too scared to admit to anyone who he really was, that he could barely remember anyone other than Jacob and Harrison, and none of those memories were happy ones.

%%%

After the questioning, Blaine's father had slipped upstairs to his office, where he locked the door and sank down into his leather chair. He knew that Blaine was a curious one. He had always been that way, but this was one thing Darryl was determined to keep from him. There was too much at risk. It was hard enough at his work having everyone know he had a gay son, but knowing that his family used to be best friends with another family that had another gay child? No. And that the gay child was dead? Certainly not. That was one of the bonuses of moving he supposed. No one knew their past. No one here knew the town where they came from. It was better that way. Blaine was never supposed to find out the truth. Curse his wife for wanting to keep memories. Blaine's father stood and stepped over to the closet, where he pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass. Taking a large gulp, Darryl stepped back over and sat on the window ledge, staring out at the night sky. When had life begun to hold so many secrets?

%%%

Blaine's mother was crying. She was clutching an old picture tight in her hands and she was sobbing. She missed Liz. Missed her with every breath she took. When you are best friends with someone for so long, when you raise your children together, when you have cookouts and birthday parties and movie nights, you become a part of one another. The move had forced Heather to sacrifice so much. The house where they had raised their kids, a great job, but none hurt worse than the loss of her best friend. Heather stroked the faces in the picture. Little Kurt. Sweet little Kurt. Heather and Liz had known he was gay, they had talked about it. They talked about the possibility of Blaine being gay too, just because that would make sense. So why had she followed her husband's example and shunned both boys when they admitted it to them, first Kurt then Blaine. Heather remembered the look on Liz's face when she had told her that they could no longer talk in public. Liz had looked so hurt, so broken. After a rough bout with cancer, her hair wasn't quite back yet. Her eyes held the same childlike innocence that they had held since the girls were in high school. But she was still Liz. Heather hated Darryl for making her do this. But she was powerless to change his mind. It wasn't good for him if he wanted to move up the social ladder and eventually get a promotion that could mean great things for him. Liz would understand, right? Heather could not have been more wrong. She grew angry, and upset, and yelled. Why couldn't Heather see Kurt the way she saw him? Why did it make such a big difference? Well, if that's the way you really want it to be, then I guess that that's the way it will be. I'm sorry that it's come to this. Maybe one day when you're confronted with it then you'll understand. He is no different than he was the day before he told us. Then Liz had stood, kissed Heather's cheek, and took Kurt home. That was the last time Heather ever spoke to her. Lima wasn't a huge town. They saw each other in passing picking the boys up from school, or in the grocery store. Heather heard from mutual friends that Liz's cancer had come back, and had cried that day, wondering who would be there to hold her best friend's hand through it this time now that she wasn't. Heather kept up with the family. The day she heard of Kurt's death was one of the hardest of her life. She wanted to hold her best friend, wanted to hug Burt and tell him how sorry she was. She knew exactly how he had died, and how it had come to be, and Heather hated herself for it, because she was no different than the kids who bullied him. But still Heather couldn't bring herself to go back for the funeral. Blaine had been young when the boys had parted ways, and he hadn't spoken of his old friend in so long he had probably forgotten, so Heather didn't tell him. It would open up unneeded questions as to why they weren't friends anymore, and Heather couldn't really answer that. But here they were now, and Blaine was so close to finding out the truth that Heather felt the tears begin to fall again. She had never wanted to have this conversation with him. She had never wanted to remember the events that led to the split. But here it was, and it was coming at a full force.

All three family members were broken in different ways. Darryl was the wedge that broke them, Heather was the piece that seemed lost, but it was Blaine who was trying to put everything back together. You can only avoid the past for so long, until it arises and comes back with full force. The Anderson's had just received their wake up call.

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**So, there's that. Is it beginning to look any clearer? I hope so. A lot more is filled in these next few chapters. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. let's just keep it classy guys. No outright bashing. If you don't like something, let me know. If you love it, let me know. If this reminds you of a time in your life, and you'd like to share your story with me, I'd love to hear it. Love you guys!**

**Always Remember to Smile!**

**Olivia**


	6. Welcome to Existence

**A/N: Hey guys! So you would not believe, but not only am I giving you this chapter, but I actually have two more completely written! Isn't that crazy? This story is just making its way out of me and onto the paper. I'm really excited for you guys to find out what happens. I finished the outline last night, and it is crazy. It's gonna be a pretty epic ending. Just stick around with me and hang on for the ride.**

**I'd like to send out thanks to all my reviewers, and to my friend Elisa, who's been there since the start. This one's for you girl! I dedicate this chapter of the story to anyone who is struggling out there. I know it seems silly, but it really does get better. And I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. Message me or drop a review, I love hearing what you guys are thinking!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own Glee. (Not yet anyways.)**

**Enjoy!**

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That night, sleep evaded Blaine. He thought on all the pictures, and the obituary he had committed to memory now. There were pieces missing. Blaine's heart hurt for the kid who he had obviously known. How had he died? A freak accident? Murder? What had happened to this kid? And why did Blaine feel such a strong pull towards him?

Blaine flipped over onto his side and moaned, crushing the pillow into his face. Sleep was overrated anyways, right? Sitting up, Blaine rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness. They immediately fell on the box Blaine had left sitting on his desk. Well, maybe one quick look wouldn't hurt. So Blaine crawled over to the edge of the bed and grabbed the box from his desk. Fishing through it, Blaine searched for three things. He pulled out Kurt's obituary, the picture of the two boys hugging and smiling, but the family picture was nowhere to be found. Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. He had just seen it, and had hoped that it may have helped him to piece together the puzzle of his life. But now it was gone.

Suddenly, an idea came to Blaine. Why not just search the kid on Facebook? Everyone had a Facebook right? Blaine grabbed his laptop from its spot beside the bed and sat cross legged up against the headboard. Typing Kurt's name into the search bar, many matches came up. Several faces from several places, a list of at least twelve Kurt Hummel's. But three down from the top, Blaine found his Kurt. Pulling up the page, Blaine saw only nine friends, five of which had the last name Hummel and were obviously family members. But the rest of the page was consumed with threats. Taunting towards Kurt, towards his family. Blaine scrolled down and read each and every one of them. Some of them were especially hurtful. By the end, Blaine was in tears at the thought of even having to live through one day as Kurt, much left a life of it.

No, Blaine was not in favor of suicide. But he wasn't going to lump it together with the people calling it a selfish decision. No, the selfishness was in the people who saw it happening, and chose not to do anything about it in fear that it might have an effect on their own lives. Blaine pitied Kurt, and the awful life he had obviously had. Digging deeper, Blaine continued to search for the connection between Kurt and himself.

He found pictures of Kurt. Upon a few glances at well, several, Blaine concluded that Kurt was rather attractive. He obviously had a strong love for fashion. His hair and skin care was about as close to perfect as you could get. He obviously took great pride in the way he looked. Despite what he was going through, at least he looked nice.

The final place Blaine ventured was Kurt's about me. He was almost scared at what he might find there. But there was nothing. Only a hyperlink, of which Blaine was even more scared. But he clicked on it anyways.

The website opened into a new tab where Blaine found a black background. A blog it looked like. Kurt's blog. For some reason unknown to Blaine, he decided to skip the first post. He decided to save it for later, after he had read everything else. If it had been suicide, Blaine didn't want to know until the end. So Blaine clicked the next button, and began to read. He read all the heartfelt words about loss and about pain and loneliness. Blaine cried through the entire thing, struggling to muffle his sobs so as to not alert his parents to what he was doing. Somehow Blaine didn't think they would approve. Blaine scrolled through years' worth of entries. He saw the highs and the lows of being Kurt. Blaine was sure that he had never known anyone as well as he knew Kurt now. Why was it that someone could be so open and honest when the rest of the world was hiding behind masks and smiles? Blaine saw the good days and the bad days. He got insight into Kurt's mind. Every day it seemed that Kurt had written something. Some were poems, some were true journal entries, and some were just lists. Some of people, some of pros and cons, of what exactly Blaine wasn't sure.

Blaine scrolled all the way through the bottom. He knew he would regret not trying to go back to sleep during class tomorrow, but Kurt was so intriguing Blaine couldn't pull himself away from it. When he reached the last post, Blaine took a breath before reading, trying to let everything he had learned in the past few days sink in. There were still some missing pieces, yes, but slowly everything was falling into place. Kurt was becoming less and less of a mystery every minute.

Opening the last post, Blaine found it to be a poem. These had so far allowed the best glimpse of Kurt. Somehow, Kurt had a way of writing so that he was admitting far more than he would in a regular post. It was just encrypted, giving Blaine a struggle trying to decipher it.

But after reading the first few lines, Blaine gasped. This was not a poem like the others. This was a poem of happier times. A poem of friendship and life. It was as if another person entirely had written it. It was longer than the others. Continuing reading, Blaine saw the jump. It was if one second Kurt was talking about being best friends with an incredible understanding person, then the person was snatched away from him. Kurt began to write about something being stripped away and taken before its time. Blaine reached the end. But even the ending was strange. It wasn't a true line like the rest of the poem. It was two words, mashed together, as if Kurt had typed it very fast, but the meaning was the same.

"Comeback."

Blaine nodded and sighed again. He had been doing a lot of that lately. Blaine began to scroll through the rest of the entries once more. He was about halfway back through when he heard footsteps in the hallway. Slamming the laptop shut as quietly as he could manage, Blaine shoved it under the covers and pulled the blanket back over him, mimicking sleep. The door opened and his mother stepped in. She glanced over at Blaine and stepped quietly over towards Blaine's desk. Blaine held his breath, hoping she wouldn't see the box of Kurt's things. He watched her from under the covers as she slipped her hand under his jacket and pulled out the box. Blaine swallowed hard. Then, he watched in confusion as his mother reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture. Slipping it into the box, she recovered the box. Blaine furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. His mother turned around and Blaine hurriedly shut his eyes, breathing in and out slowly. Mrs. Anderson stepped over to Blaine and to Blaine's surprise, reached down and smoothed her hand over his hair. Then she headed towards the door. Stepping halfway out, she turned back around and whispered, "At least we still have you. We're the lucky ones." Then she was gone.

Rolling over onto his back, Blaine opened his eyes to stare at his ceiling. It didn't take long for him to get up and walk over to the box. Opening it slowly, he pulled out the new entry.

Blaine's fingers turned white when he saw the image of the picture. It was the family picture that had been missing. Blaine's mother's words echoed in his head once more.

"At least we still have you. We're the lucky ones."

Things had just gotten even more confusing.

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**Whoa. Yeah, that's right. I jsut did that. And I'm sorry, but it gets a little more twisted before you actually figure out what's going on.**

**Review maybe? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story, but even more I want to hear YOUR story. What does this story make you think about? Have you overcome an experience that changed your life? I'd love to hear it.**

**Love and hugs to you all until next time! (Which won't be long because I've already writen it!)**

**Olivia**

**Always Remember to Smile!**


	7. Everybody Waits for You Now

**A/N: Next chapter! AHHHHH! I'm so glad that I'm making progress on this story. Really guys, you don't even understand. I'm actually very happy at where this story is headed. But I'll quit talking and let you get to the story. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or anything else that seems familiar.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hi, my name is Blaine Anderson, and I'm calling about ahh, Kurt Hummel."

"Hello? Um, did you know anyone by the name of Kurt Hummel?"

"Kurt Hummel? Know him?"

Clicks. Every single time he tried to get close to solving the mystery of Kurt by calling some of his "friends" it was a dead end. No one was talking. And Blaine was getting discouraged. He flopped down on his bed and tossed his phone down. Why all the secrets? Yes, Blaine was discouraged, but he wasn't giving up. His lifeline came that night, when his phone suddenly rang with an unknown number on the caller ID. Blaine shrugged and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm looking for a Blaine Anderson?" It was a girl, high school age Blaine guessed.

"This is him."

"Hi Blaine. My name is Mercedes. Mercedes Jones. Word on the street is that you're digging into the Kurt Hummel file. Word to the wise, don't." Blaine's heart skipped a few beats, stopped, then started again with an aggressive pace.

"Oh. Uh, hi Mercedes. You knew Kurt?"

"Yes. I did. We were best friends. Or well, I thought we were." Blaine could hear the hurt and confusion that still leaked through her voice.

"Mercedes? I know this sounds really strange and off the wall and like it doesn't make any sense, and honestly it doesn't make any sense to me either and I'm not really sure where it all falls into place but-"

"Blaine?" Mercedes interrupted. "You want to hear about Kurt? Right?"

"Yes. I don't know how, but we're connected. I can't get him out of my mind. I just, I want to know him. I want to know about his life, and his death. Can you tell me about him?" He heard Mercedes sigh.

"Well, I just feel like I should warn you. It isn't pretty. The ending isn't some fairy tale where everybody lives a happily ever after. My boy Kurt never had it easy."

"Please Mercedes?"

"Okay. What do you wanna know?"

"Everything. Start from the beginning."

And that was how Blaine spent that night, and the next several after it. He heard the ins and outs of Kurt's life growing up. He laughed at Kurt's sense of humor, and cried when Mercedes described the constant everyday bullying. She was right; it wasn't pretty. She told him of the late night conversations she and Kurt had.

"He would call me, crying, telling me that there was no way he could ever tell his parents, that there was no way they would ever understand. I'd cry with him, then he'd tell me that he had hurt himself again. It was almost as if he knew I didn't approve, because he would start apologizing and crying even harder. Lots of time I would just drive over to his house and hold him until he would stop. He was never happy. It was very rare to see him happy. But it did happen on occasion. You would see a glimpse of a smile, the passing of a chuckle, and you just knew that the real Kurt was underneath there somewhere. There was hope."

It was the third night of phone calls when they reached the end. Blaine felt as if he already knew what happened. But he needed to hear it from Mercedes.

"It wasn't sudden. I mean, it was, but all the same, it wasn't. Kurt had shut himself off from everyone. Well, as you know, everyone meant his family, and me. He didn't talk, he stopped dressing so… Kurt-like, and started dressing more plain. T-shirts and jeans every day. He stopped taking as much time and care into his appearance. I was worried. But every time I tried speaking to him he closed off again, and ran off. One Wednesday I noticed he was especially distant. I kept trying to talk to him, but he avoided me like the plague. That night he was really on my mind. I prayed for him, and then picked up the phone to call him. He actually answered, which was surprising to me. We chatted for a few minutes, then he told me that he had to go, that he had a few things to take care of before the morning. But before we hung up, he told me that he loved me. He thanked me for being the best friend he could have ever asked for. Then we hung up. If I had known that would be the last time we'd talk, I would have held on longer. I would have begged for just a few more minutes. I would have listened to his voice, memorizing it in my mind. But I didn't. I let him go, and I went to sleep.

"It was a Thursday. I always hated Thursdays. I arrived at school and everyone was quiet. Usually, I mean, you know how high school is, loud and chaotic, but that day it wasn't. I knew something was off. I kept asking, what's going on? What happened? Why is it so quiet? But no one would answer me. They just stared at the ground. Several girls were crying. I ran all the way to the choir room to find our Glee Club coach, Mr. Shue. He was sitting at the piano, his shoulders shaking as he cried. I asked him what was going on, and why everyone was so sad. He just stared at me with a look of pity on his face and told me that Kurt was gone, that he had killed himself that morning." Blaine heard Mercedes stop and breathe in deeply a few times, trying to regain her composure. Blaine was patient. He knew it was hard for her, reliving that day.

"It's okay Mercedes. Just go on whenever you can." A few more sniffles were heard, then she spoke again.

"Thanks Blaine. Uhm, well, after he told me I just kinda lost it. I ran out of the school. I left. Ran straight to the playground and fell to the ground, screaming. It wasn't fair, what happened to him. I didn't learn all the details until later. Blaine, Kurt was a self-harmer. I told you that. Well, it led to his death. Kurt didn't just cut. He etched the names of all the people who had let him down onto his body. When they found him, all the cuts were still bleeding. He had overdosed after finishing all the names. They told me this later. My parents watched me really closely after it happened. I guess they were scared of what it might do to me. The pain in my heart, was just unbearable. I didn't go back to school for a few weeks. When I did, it was different. Everything had changed; my best friend was gone."

That night, after discussing with Mercedes all the events surrounding Kurt's death, they hung up. But Blaine couldn't sleep. He couldn't think. He paced back and forth, he tossed and turned, and before he had a chance to think twice about it, Blaine was in his car on the way to Lima. What he was going to do when he got there, he wasn't sure. He just knew he needed to go.

It was a long trip to Lima. Blaine rode the entire way in silence, letting his thoughts fill the empty spaces. It was almost as if he was on an information overload. He had heard and learned so much about a person who had been a total mystery just days before. It was late, and Blaine knew that he'd be facing hell when he went back home. Whenever that was.

It was early morning when Blaine reached the Lima city limits. He had driven through the night, his adrenaline and anger keeping him awake. The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. Blaine didn't know where exactly he was headed. He hadn't been here in years, but he trusted his instinct to lead him wherever he needed to be.

Turned out that it was the cemetery. Blaine parked his car and began to walk. The Lima cemetery was not a large one, so it didn't take long at all for Blaine to find the lone stone marked Hummel. Blaine knelt in front of it and slowly traced his fingers over the letters one by one. Underneath the name and dates was a small word, in script writing. It stated simply, Courage. And that was all it took for Blaine to burst into tears. He cried and cried for the boy he had never known. Or, for the boy he had no memory of ever knowing. That seemed to be all he could do anymore was cry. But after a little bit, Blaine's tears dried. He thought back on his life, and compared it to Kurt's life. Yes, Blaine had been lucky enough to have enough courage in his heart to be honest with himself and who he really was, but he and Kurt were actually very similar. What if Blaine had come out to all of his friends in Lima and had been shunned as Kurt had? Would he have had the same fate? Blaine realized now more than ever just how lucky he truly was. And how a simple chance had separated the fates of him and one Kurt Hummel.

After too long Blaine figured he should head home and face whatever was coming his way from his parents. As he was driving, he began to talk. Maybe to God, maybe to himself, he wasn't really sure. But he just said out loud everything he was feeling and thinking, hoping that maybe it would began to make sense, or that some divine source would send him the message, tell him exactly what it was that he was meant to do with his knowledge of Kurt.

"It could have been me. I could have easily been the one humiliated and tortured every single day. But I wasn't. For whatever reason I was the lucky one. But I just don't know what to do now. I just know that there's got to be more than this. There's got to be some greater purpose to life than simply living, making money, then dying. There's gotta be something else. Something bigger than just me." And that was when it hit him, and Blaine knew exactly what it was that he was meant to do.

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**Yeah. So Blaine's starting to get closer to the answers... that'll come in the next few chapters. I hope you are enjoying following Blaine on his journey as much as I am!**

**Please review and let me know what this story means to you. Does it bring up a painful memory, make you want to do something about a problem you see? I hope so. because in my mind, if this story touches just one person, it will have served its purpose. I want to hear from you. I love hearing responce about my writing, or just making new friends through common experiences. So be bold. Leave a review. Message me. Just stand up and speak out.**

**I love you all bunches! :)**

**Until next time, **

**Always Remember to Smile!**

**Olivia**


	8. Run to Escape From Yourself

**A/N: Hey guys! Bit of a longer break than we've had lately, but I'm back with another chapter. I have afew chapters, three I think, written out, plus around 3-4 more to write, so you guys are in good shape for the time being.**

**I'd like to send out a huge THANK YOU to all of my reviewers, you guys helped me reach a new level of reviews! We, at the posting of this chapter are at 34 reviews. The most I've ever had on a story before this one was 32 on 'I'll Always Be There, Even When I'm Not' which was my very first story. (If you haven't yet, and you enjoy huge amounts of blangst, it may be for you. Just saying.) So, THANK YOU AGAIN!**

**But, if you haven't reviewed yet to tell me what you're thinking, please do! But it doesn't mean I appriciate you any less. I love even my silent readers out there. This story is doing exactly what I wanted it to do, and that's touch people's hearts. Change is coming guys. One person at a time.**

**My news: Well, I'm on break right now, so that's why this chapter is being posted earlier in the day, (well early in my time zone.) But my mother has once again taken the laptop back, so I may not have a chance to write those next few chapters for a few days. I will still try to upload another bit next Saturday. This is an incredibly long authors note, so I love you all! Hugs and kisses! :)**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, no.**

**Enjoy!**

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It had been a week. One long week since Blaine had been to the cemetery. In some ways things were clearer. He knew in his heart that he had figured out what needed to be done, he had just never anticipated that it would be this hard. Upon arriving home, Blaine had received a huge lecture from his parents, well, mainly the lecture from his mother, his father just did a lot of shouting. They had taken away his life outside of the house, and he was being turned into a boy version of Cinderella, piles of chores being piled onto him in an unreasonable manner. But that didn't stop him from continuing on with his plan.

Blaine had gone upstairs after the lecture and immediately pulled out his laptop, opening it up to Facebook. He bookmarked Kurt's profile and pulled out some of his pictures. Blaine entitled the page The Kurt Hummel Project. He spent the better part of the next two hours creating the message to greet people, uploading pictures, adding links to help raise awareness, and sending out requests to his friends to help him. After he felt like the page was as complete as it would be at the moment, Blaine closed his laptop, and leaning back onto his bed, drifted into the sleep he'd been needing for the past thirty six hours.

He slept until his alarm clock went off for school the next morning. After coming out of the fog, he remembered the website. Grabbing his computer, he checked the page. Only one member. Mercedes. None of his friends had even responded. Blaine sighed. Maybe this was going to be a little harder than he thought. But he got dressed and went on his way to school.

The greeting he received when he walked in was certainly less than he expected after being missing from school for a day. His friends walked right past him in the hallway without a word. It was like that movie he had seen in history class, about the Amish and The Shunning. Blaine grabbed the shoulder of his "best friend" Kaleb.

"Kaleb, what's going on? Why are you guys ignoring me like the plague?" Kaleb gave him a slightly pitying look, one that let Blaine know that he didn't really agree with what was going on.

"Because Blaine, we've all seen it."

"Seen what? The website? Well yeah, that's kinda what I intended when I sent the invites yesterday." Blaine didn't understand. Kaleb's eyes darted around, noticing that everyone was secretly listening to their conversation.

"Blaine, just do yourself a favor and take it down. That's the only way things will go back to normal. You know how the guys feel about, well, you know, about gays and all that."

"Kaleb, they were totally receptive of me when I came out. You all were. What changed?" Kaleb gave his friend a sad smile, and then shook his head.

"They were only because it was you. You're the exception Blaine. But not anymore. They're tired of the 'fairy dust' and crap. Seriously, just take it down." Blaine slowly shook his head.

"But this is what's right! Why am I getting shunned for standing up? I'm trying to show everyone what a big problem we have here! Kids are killing themselves for showing who they really are! Suicide and bullying rates are higher than ever before! What's this world missing?"

"What is it with you and this kid Blaine? Why are you so stuck on trying to figure him out?" Kaleb questioned.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because we're a lot alike really. Maybe it's me trying to figure myself out. I'm not sure." Kaleb shook his head at Blaine and sighed.

"I'm sorry Blaine. I can't fight them. And neither should you. I'm sorry." And with that, Kaleb turned and walked away. Blaine stood there, stunned at what had just taken place. The bell rang for class and everyone disappeared, but still Blaine stood there.

The rest of the week continued in that fashion. Shunning from students, slurs in the hallway, they became the usual. About the third day Blaine got his first taste- of slushy that was. He found himself covered in the freezing sugary mixture from head to toe before third period. Going to the bathroom to wash off the best he could was a struggle. He felt his way down the hallway, falling at one point, causing him to completely lose his sense of direction. He stood and cautiously opened his eyes, but even that let a stream of what he had found to be grape slush into his eyes. And boy did it burn. He yelped in pain as a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders. He tried to shake them off, but they held tight.

"Calm down, I'm just gonna help you get to the bathroom so you can clean up. Grape is awful to your eyes." Blaine didn't recognize the voice, and his first instinct said not to trust it, that it could be a prank, but he let himself be led anyways. He didn't have much of another choice. But when he smelt the smell that could only be known as boy's bathroom, he knew he was in good hands. He felt the water rinse over his eyes and clear the guck from his face. When it felt safe to open his eyes, he did and was met by an unfamiliar face.

"It's Eric. You know, I'm in your AP Bio class." Ah. So that's who it was. Blaine knew he recognized him from somewhere. Eric was known as a geek. As a Glee club loser who sang about his feelings with the other lame members of the club.

"Oh. Hi." Blaine didn't know what else to say. "Thanks for this." Eric shrugged and helped Blaine up from his awkward position bent over the sink.

"Yeah, well, I guess I should get to class. Shue doesn't like us to be too terribly late." Ah. Mr. Shuester, the Glee Club coach who for whatever reason thought he was equipped to teach Spanish. Blaine watched as Eric began to leave, and then turned around suddenly.

"By the way, I think it's pretty cool what you're trying to do. My older brother is gay. He killed himself two years ago. I know I'm one of the few, but I support you. I'm on board with what you're trying to do." And then Eric was gone. But now Blaine was filled with joy. Someone actually liked what he was trying to do! Someone was on board with his ideas! Not everyone hated him! Rather than go back to class, Blaine got in his car and went home.

Once locked away in the security of his bedroom, Blaine checked his phone. One new message, from Mercedes. Talking with her had become somewhat of a daily ritual for Blaine. He had found a kindred spirit with the girl and enjoyed her company. He opened the message, already knowing exactly what it said. She sent him the same thing every day.

_Courage Blaine. Check the website._

Since the morning after, Blaine hadn't dared to check the site. He was too scared of what it might show. That maybe he could be all alone in his venture to make things right. Mercedes urged him every day to check it, but he hadn't gotten up the courage to. But after talking to Eric that morning, Blaine felt that he could handle whatever it said.

Pulling up the page, Blaine took a few deep breaths. He read the first post.

_**Hey Fag Lover, why don't you just kill yourself and add to the "growing number of deaths?"**_

Blaine swallowed back his tears, but began to read on. It seemed that now that he had started, he found himself unable to stop.

_**Go die in a hole.**_

_**Who do you think you're helping? Leave Kurt in his grave!**_

_**Yeah, what an awesome idea. Save the homos.**_

_**This is just wrong.**_

It went on and on. Blaine had reached the third page before he finally found what he was looking for.

_**Hi. We've never met. Tonight I was supposed to die. I had it all planned out. The pills were laid out and I had written the notes. I checked my Facebook one last time and this page popped up. I read Kurt's story and burst into tears. I realized that I couldn't do that to my mom. Because of you, I'm still alive. I threw the letters out, flushed the pills. Just, thank you. You saved my life.**_

Blaine sat still, unable to breathe. This post, this kid's story, this was why he had created the page. No matter what kind of hell he was going through at school, this is why it was worth it. Kurt's story was getting spread. Like wildfire it was spreading, farther than Blaine had ever been anticipating.

The next morning, Blaine received a phonecall.

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**Just a small cliffie. No big deal. You'll survive. But I want to know what you think. I really really want to hit 50 reviews soon! It would mean the world to me! So please, love it? hate it? Would rather I stop here and never write again? Tell me about it! And I'm still open to hearing your stories! I'd love to hear how this story impacts you! :)Until next time!**

**Always Remember to Smile!**

**Olivia**


	9. What Happens Next?

**A/N: Heyyy guys. What's up? So, yeah. Sorry for the dissapearance. It just kinda happened. I didn't mean for so many days to go by. So, I am sorry. But a constant thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you consistant reviewers. I've gotten really lax about personally thanking each one of you, so at the end of the story I will be very sure to go back and personally thank each of you for reviewing and reading, and also for letting me share a piece of myself with you. And just because, I've decided to post a little bit of my story at the bottom, if any of you have a moment to read. :) I love each and every one of you so very much. Remember to hang on no matter what your struggle, because it does get better.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Or the characters that seem familiar. BUT! It would be an awesome birthday present since my birthday is in TWO DAYS! :DDDD (I'll be 18 by the way. And I'm really excited.)**

**I hope this story touches you or makes you think in some way! As always, message me or leave me your questions in a review if you have any! Mwah! :) 3**

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Never in Blaine's wildest dreams had he anticipated this. Never in a million years had he suspected to be a "very important person." And especially had he not expected to be sitting across the table from the Governor. What had begun as confusion was, well, still a confusion, but now Blaine had the Governor to explain everything.

It had started that night with a simple phone call. Blaine was expecting his diva friend Mercedes, because it was around the time for their nightly call. But rather than his soul sister, it was the governor. Blaine remembered his mouth going dry and stammering over his words, but agreeing to meet with the man the following day. Blaine figured meeting such an important person was means for missing a day of school, not that he was planning on telling his parents about it. No. They'd have to pay the consequences of all their selfish decisions by watching him make one of his own. He didn't want them there. The Governor didn't say exactly what the meeting was going to be about, only that he'd like to meet him. So Blaine gathered his wits about him and arranged the meeting.

And that was how he ended up here, in the capital of all places, seated in the big office across the table from the governor. Blaine smiled and took a sip from his water. Really he just wanted to know why he was there. Hopefully good things, but who knows? The governor folds his hands and lays them on the table.

"I'll get straight down to the point Mr. Anderson."

"Blaine. Please, call me Blaine. Mr. Anderson is my father. I'm Blaine." The man chuckled and nodded.

"Alright. Blaine it is. Well Blaine, would you like to know why you're here?"

"Yes please. I'm not in trouble am I?" The governor laughed, his big belly shaking.

"No sir. Quite the opposite." The man pulled out several sheets of paper and slid them over towards Blaine. Upon flipping them over, Blaine saw first a spreadsheet, then a copy of the front page of the website. Following those two pages, there were printed out copies of every single comment left written on the wall. Blaine had already read several of them, and he noticed that several were circled, particularly the ones where it was mentioned that the page and encouragement had "saved my life." Blaine looked back up.

"These are from my site." He said. The man nodded.

"Yes, yes they are. It seems to be that you are a very influential person. You've helped a lot of people. Strangers to you. What made you start the page?" Blaine paused before answering, waiting to gather his thoughts.

"Well, when I found Kurt's pictures and obituaries in my attic, I knew we were connected. I could feel it. I began looking into it a little. I still couldn't figure it out, but I felt like I had to do something. I made a few calls to his hometown; I spoke to some people who claimed to be his friends. But no one was talking. One girl, Mercedes Jones, was finally the one who opened the door. She told me about Kurt and what he was like, what his life was like. I knew that I couldn't just let his memory, and the message of his life disappear, so I started a Facebook page. I posted his story, and some words of hope and encouragement. I meant for it to be a safe place where kids could come clean about their problems, or talk to someone who would have no previous knowledge of their background or where they came from. I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would explode overnight. Yeah, as I'm sure you saw, I get hate mail. People are always going to try to stop change. But sir, the fact is, the world is changing out there. People are becoming more and more accepting every day. People who are different, their time is coming! But for now, until that change happens for good, I want to inspire people to hang on and to keep living. So that one day, when acceptance is heard around the world, they'll still be alive to see it."

The man stared at Blaine for a moment, his eyes searching the boy's face and expression. Then, a slow smile spread on his features and he nodded.

"I think this is exactly what I wanted to hear. I couldn't have phrased it better myself. Blaine Anderson, may I please shake your hand?" Blaine smiled and reached his hand out to meet the governor's. "Blaine, the reason I called you here today is to ask your permission to push this mission to become widespread across the country. I want to make signs and billboards and commercials. I want every teen in the nation to know that they have somewhere to turn, a safe place to go. I want to create a center where we can field phone calls day and night, with real people that these kids can speak with." Blaine's mouth was wide open. This was a dream. It had to be a dream. But all he could do was nod, so the governor continued.

"You see Blaine, national teenage suicide rates are at an all-time high. This has reached epidemic levels, and it is far past time to do something about it. That's where you come in. We would like to, with your permission, use your website to help all these kids. We want to take it off Facebook and create its own domain. 'The Kurt Hummel Project dot org.' How does that sound?" It was a lot for Blaine to absorb all at once. He sank back down into his chair and let his brain wander. It presented the possibility for so many opportunities with the organization. So many lives could be saved just because of Blaine. What on Earth could stop him from saying yes to all that? His answer was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

So Blaine agreed to do as the governor wished and to let it spread nationwide. For the first time since reading his paper out loud to the kids in his literature class, he felt as if he were on the right path. As if he was headed in the right direction and making the right choices. The center was created and people were hired, after a strenuous interview process. They only wanted the right people for the answerers. They would be the people saving lives. Blaine was kept in the loop of how the numbers changed. And to Blaine's wonder, he watched as the lives saved monitor went up, and the national suicide rate went down. So many calls were coming in constantly that the organization wound up building three more centers, placed in various time zones around the United States.

Blaine continued going to high school and headed over to his small but cozy office in the main building after school. His parents had eventually found out, and let's just say that they weren't too happy about Blaine spending his time saving, "Silly depressed fags," as his father liked to phrase it. But none of that mattered to him anymore.

On this very afternoon he was sitting in his chair working on calculus homework when he glanced up and his eyes caught the picture frame on his desk. After being given his own office, the first thing Blaine added was the framed picture of him and Kurt as children, that way no matter how crazy things got, he could remind himself why he was doing this. Blaine held the frame in his hands and studied the picture. He ran his thumb over Kurt's face. It had been eight months. A mere eight months since that initial web page founding. And Blaine still struggled with the mystery of how he and Kurt were connected. No one wanted to talk. If anything, lips were more tightly sealed than ever before. But tomorrow, Blaine would have to open his, because he was the guest of honor at the Stop Bullying Convention in New York City. He would be speaking in front of many benefactors and important people. It was time for Blaine to speak out about the mission of the company from his own mouth. Because tomorrow, there would be no more hiding behind the figureheads of the company. Sitting the picture down, Blaine turned on his laptop and read over his speech one final time.

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**So yeah, and that's that. I hope you are still with me despite my constant delays in updating. Love you all! Here's the part where I'm going to add in a little bit of my story. It'll be short and summerized I promise. :)**

**So I'm Olivia, for those of you who don't already know. I'm 17, but I'll be 18 two days from now on the 24th of March! :) I was bullied my entire school career. The first memories I have of it are in elementary school. I was in third grade. THere were these three girls who made it their personal mission to make my life a living hell. I hated them. They weren't physical, but the verbal and emotional abuse was just as bad. I didn't understand why they didn't like me. And in my mind, this just became the way the world was. If you were different, or smart, or didn't agree with everyone else, you became a target. And it sucked. They made me hate going to school. But that was when I learned not to run. You see guys, you can't run from everything that hurts you, because that's where your strength comes from. **

**So I continued onto middle school. I still saw these three girls, but since I was in the advanced classes, I didn't see much of them. I thought my experience with bullying was over. But I would be wrong. Kids continued to pick on me. Said that I read too much, or always had my head stuck in a notebook writing. I was always just a little too different for them. So in eighth grade, I began to change myself. I started dressing like everyone else, acting like everyone else, talking like everyone else, but still rumors were spread about me, and who I really was. But somehow or another, in my mind I was on the verge of being popular. The only thing left to change were the friends I hung around. Namely one, named Caitlin. Well, this girl, if I didn't really fit in, she most certainly didn't fit in. But we had struck up a friendship somehow. I knew that she had to change if I was ever going to be able to fit in without losing my friends. So I began to ridicule what she wore to her. I directed her to dress differently too, to try makeup every once in a while, to try contacts instead of glasses. And then when she did, and it still wasn't enough, I ridiculed her for that too. I had become the same person I had despised in those three girls who picked on me. And I felt dirty. Useless. Ashamed. Embarassed. How had I let this happen? Anyways, me and the girl parted ways when high school came. And after a period of self analysis, I learned the second trick. Forgiving yourself. You aren't perfect. You can't hold onto the guilt for every little thing you've done wrong. **

**A few years later, I'm a junior. And Caitlin appears at the career academy with me and is in my class. I couldn't speak to her. I didn't know what to say. It took me months. But finally I got enough guts to get on facebook and message her. I told her how bad I felt, and how sorry I was. After an hour of sitting and staring at the message screen, I got a reply. And guys, she told me that I was forgiven. She told me that she had already forgiven me years ago. She taught me the third trick. Asking for forgiveness from others. It's hard. Sometimes it stinks. But it has to be done. Now, We're still good friends. We've rebuilt what we used to have, and I've learned that it doesn't matter what other people think of me, or of my friends. It's what I think of myself.**

**Guys, I don't know what you're struggling wiht. I don't know what battles you're fighting. But as cliche as it sounds, it does get better. But it doesn't happen overnight. You can't give up because sometimes it takes forever. But whether you are the bully or the victim, hang in there. Talk to me if you like. You guys are some of my best friends already, and I've never met you. But at least now you know why this story is so close to my heart. And if you read this far, God Bless You. You're a wonderful person. **

**Always Remember to Smile,**

**3 Olivia**


	10. Between How it is and How it Should Be

**A/N: Well Hello there! Just in defense, I told you that updates would be spontaneous. But I'm also here to tell you that I have finished the story! After this there are two more chapters then an epilouge. (sp?) I always mess that word up. Anyways, I don't have much to say other than, OH YEAH I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL! YES! I had my last day on Tuesday, and summe ris coming, so hopefully you won't hae to wait so long from now on, but no promises. I also have two new one shots coming at you this morning, so I haven't been completely unproductive in my absense. SO be sure to check those out! Um, I think that's about it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar.**

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There was no feeling that quite compared to being in New York City. There was something about the fast paced lifestyle, the passion to become something bigger than just you. It was an inspiring place, that was for sure. As Blaine walked the streets, looking up at all the buildings, down the street towards Radio City, and even further beyond, the Statue of Liberty, he decided that one day he would move to New York. But while he was having a great time just enjoying being there, the thought lingered in the back of his mind why he was there. It wasn't just for fun and games. This was serious. Tonight was his speech, and Blaine knew that this speech, what he said tonight, had the power to change lives, to raise awareness for bullying. But Blaine also knew that the spot where he was standing, the buildings and places he was seeing and exploring, were the very places that Kurt Hummel had dreamed about when he was growing up. Blaine had learned this much from Mercedes, and the research he had done himself looking into Kurt's past. The kid had big dreams, big Broadway dreams, dreams of being a star. He had dreams that would never come true. And because of that, Blaine felt a chill run down his spine. This is why he loved what he did. Whenever he went to his office, he got to speak with hundreds of kids every week about that they were facing, and offer them words of encouragement to get through their days. It was a great feeling. Blaine never regretted the life he had chosen. He only regretted that he had waited this long.

Walking down the streets of New York City was a great time to think; Blaine could totally see how people got inspired to dream big. New York was truly the land where dreams come true. Well, there and Disney World. He heard the clock tower from a church nearby chime its bells for the time. He had always loved the chimes of church bells. They were so solid and trustworthy and- wait. Blaine had counted four chimes, meaning that he was supposed to be back at the hotel to meet up with the governor a half hour ago. Panicking, Blaine ran to the subway, pulling out his phone to send out a few texts. He hated rushing, but hey, at least he'd fit in with the rest of the population of the city.

*DYTM*

Blaine was pulling on his suit jacket. He would have been much more comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans, but apparently this was a pretty formal event. He was being greeted by name by people he had never seen in his life, but he just smiled politely and continued walking around. Then there were some big name people, like Chris Colfer. That alone kinda freaked Blaine out. Tonight, he would be speaking in front of one of his idols. And that was just totally awesome. He also saw many teenagers there. Some for raising money for certain causes, like the kids with the jeans fundraiser, there was Austin, the Hoops for Hope guy, there were a group of people from The Trevor Project, and he saw the original few friends who had started the To Write Love on Her Arms mission. He was in a room with some very important people, and rumor had it that the President himself would later be in attendance. But what Blaine was having the hardest time wrapping his mind around was that out of all of these important people, Blaine was the one who was chosen to speak. And to speak about a random boy who he had apparently known, but wasn't sure how he knew him or when he had known him.

He had seen his parents wandering around. Blaine didn't know how they had known to come, because he sure hadn't sent them an invitation. Blaine's extra ticket had gone to Mercedes, who was on her way now, and would be acting as his date for the evening. He hadn't invited his parents, but they were here, and there was nothing Blaine could do about it now. They either hadn't seen him watching them or didn't care, because they had made no move to approach them. All of a sudden Blaine felt a tap on the back. He turned, expecting to be met by another unfamiliar face, when he saw the face he had only seen through Skype the past few months. Mercedes pulled him into a big hug and squeezed him tight.

"Mercy… I can't breathe." She set him down and he let out his breath.

"I know, but you were looking so tense. Calm down. You're gonna be fine." And for that, Blaine just had to hug her again.

"I'm so glad you could come. Kurt, he would've wanted you here." Blaine watched as the girl smiled and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Blaine- I just, thank you. For everything you've worked towards. For not letting my boy Kurt's name just disappear. This means so much to me, to see this. Kurt would have loved you, you know. It's a shame he's not here to see it." Blaine squeezed her hand, and smiled.

"That's my point. That's why this has to happen now. So that next time there's a big gathering like this, more teens will be alive to see it." Blaine stood there chatting to Mercedes for a little while longer, then they went their separate ways, promising to meet back up later for the dinner.

Blaine walked a few steps after telling his friend goodbye, then was blindsided by his parents. Blaine was less than thrilled to see them there.

"Blaine, who was she?" His father demanded.

"My friend Mercedes. She's the one that's been helping me all this time." Blaine said with a sigh, waiting for the interrogation to start.

"Blaine Anderson! After all the hard work it's taken for me and your father to make sure that you are the picture of perfection, and represent the Anderson name well, and to monitor who your friends are, this is how you repay us? By befriending socially awkward people like her?" His mother quietly screeched.

"Mom! Stop it, okay? You're just as bad as the kids who bully every day. Can't you just find one nice thing to say about someone, ever? Mercedes is my friend. My best friend. And if you ever paid one bit of attention to me, and what's going on in my life, you'd see that. When did you even find out about what I'd done huh? Was it a coworker? Did you see the national headlines? Or did you not have any idea until the invitation, which was not from me, reach your doorstep?" When they were silent in response, Blaine finished. "That's what I thought. And what do you mean, 'monitor who your friends are?' Is that what happened with Kurt? Who is he Mom? Dad, did you have something to do with the fact I feel like I know him, that we have such a strong connection and I have no idea who he is?" By this point his mom was crying, her makeup running, but she didn't seem to care while his father stood still, silent as ever.

"We never meant for you to know. We were just trying to protect you." His mom whispered.

"Protect me from what Mom? From people who are different? I'm different Mom."

"We never meant for you to know. You were never supposed to find any of the stuff. That's why it was all hidden in the attic."

"So you were just never going to tell me? You've been monitoring me all along. Who is Kurt? Why is he so important? How do I know him?" But his mom just shook her head and turned away. Walking swiftly towards the bathroom. His father stood and stared at Blaine.

"Don't even start Dad. Images aren't everything you know. There's more to life than what your eyes can see. Get away. I don't want to see you guys the rest of the night." Blaine turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction. Only after his back was turned did he start to cry. He let his tears flow freely, but he kept his head down so that no one could tell. He hoped that Mercedes would find him and pull him away. This was just way too much for him to handle for one night. But he was stopped by a different person, or rather, pair of people.

"Blaine Anderson?" The man spoke. Blaine looked up, but could barely see through his teary eyes.

"Look, I just had this really big fight with my parents, I can't handle talking to another person who's pretending that they know me right now. I just want to find my best friend, and take a minute." Blaine was going to walk away, when he felt himself being enclosed in a set of arms that only a true mother could have. He let himself be held for a minute, and when he looked up his eyes were a little clearer. But he still didn't know these people from Adam.

"Sweet Blaine. You've always had such a strong heart." Blaine became very puzzled, and took a step back, away from the woman.

"Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

"Other than the obvious reason you mean?" The man chuckled. "You look just like you did when you were a kid."

"Who are you? You knew me when I was a kid?" They both nodded and the man put his arm around the woman's back.

"We did Blaine. We're the Hummels, Kurt's parents."

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**Woah. It's been a while since I wrote this so I didn't quite remember everything that went on. Silly author right? Well guys, in finishing the story, I realized that it's been a long time since I thanked all my reviewers. You guys are the reasons I keep writing. You inspire me, and I hope this story inspires you in some way as well. I'd like to hear about it if it does! Drop me a review or a PM. My internet has been in and out but I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible. **

**Also, I know I shared a little of my story with you guys, but if you're interested in hearing the whole thing, I'd be happy to send it to you! Thanks for reading guys!**

**Always remember to smile!**

**Olivia**


	11. Tension Is Here

**A/N: Hey guys... *insert shameful stance* I know. It's been too long again. You wouldn't think so because I've finished the story, but I just got back from a mission trip with my church, and so life is finally about to slow down some. (Maybe!) Either way, I've got this chapter for you here. And I hope you like it, even if it took forever getting here. Thanks to all my constant reviewers! You guys are the best! **

**I've also got something new coming at you, just a little one-shot called The Freshman. I don't know if it'll be anything, but the writing juices were flowing, so I'll let you guys see it. **

**Disclaimer: I think you guys get the point.**

**Always Remember to Smile!**

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Blaine just stood still. He was having trouble processing. He had just been introduced to the Hummels. The family who held the answers to all his questions. They were the people who had lost a child, and here Blaine was trying to bring him back to life. He didn't know if he should run and cower away or stand and ask the one burning question that he had struggled with since the very beginning. The man made the decision for him.

"I bet you have lots of questions that maybe haven't been answered by the people you've asked. I can sense that you're dying to set them free. But let's start with true introductions. I'm Burt and this is my wife Liz. We're Kurt's parents." Blaine opened his mouth to form words then was shoved backwards by two strong hands.

"No. Absolutely not." Blaine felt his cheeks grow warm and his fury reach an all-time high when he saw his mother and father standing between him and the Hummels. Blaine pushed them apart.

"Dad stop it! You've withheld the truth from me for so long. You've kept me from this whole other part of my life for so long. But it's time to uncover the truth. Nothing you say or do is gonna keep me from figuring out what happened all those years ago. I have to understand. I have to know the truth."

But rather than face his son, Mr. Anderson turned to face Burt. "You promised. You promised that you would never utter a word of the separation. He was never supposed to know! We've worked so hard to make sure that he has had the perfect life, that he has always had everything he needed! And then you, your family, and your son, weasel their way back into our lives. I thought you were a man of your word Burt." Burt just smiled and nodded.

"You know what though Darrell, some promises need to be broken. And this is one of them. Blaine deserves to know. This is his life. This is a part of him. Let him know the truth." And with both their mouths agape, Blaine watched as his parents smoldered away into the crowd.

"Sorry about him. About, both of them. I don't-" Burt cut the boy off with a smile.

"Don't worry about it Blaine. One of the best things about the world now is that we don't have to be who our parents are. You can be whoever you want to." Blaine nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So, why don't we find a place to sit and talk, it might make this a little more comfortable." Blaine nodded again and they set off towards the dining area, where they were seated and then Burt cleared his throat. "Maybe if you were to ask your questions we can go like that until it's been explained to you."

"Okay, well, how old was I the last time you saw me?" Blaine saw Liz nod at Burt, then she answered.

"I haven't seen you face to face in years. Not since you were a little boy. But I did know of you. Kurt, he knew of you."

"How? How did Kurt know me?" Blaine was getting more and more confused.

"You guys grew up together, Blaine. But, you also went to school together. Elementary school through middle school. That was the last time I saw you. That was the last I'd heard of you until this last year." Burt answered.

"Why don't I remember going to school with Kurt? I don't remember him at all." This was a part that truly bothered Blaine. If Kurt had been such a big piece of his life, then why didn't Blaine know him?

"Well, you were very young Blaine. You were just a kid." Blaine saw as Burt gave his wife a look that he couldn't decipher. Then she turned back to Blaine. "How much do you want to know?" The answer was easy for Blaine.

"Everything. I want to know everything." Liz nodded and took a deep breath.

"Blaine, you have such a sweet heart. Looking at you now, I'm so proud of the boy, no, young man you've turned into. Honey, when you and Kurt were kids, you used to pick on Kurt. Bullying Blaine. You bullied Kurt." Blaine felt the air gush from his lungs and his eyes go blurry.

_Three boys ambushing one. Empty classroom. Four minutes until the class came back from the bathroom break. A young boy was on the floor, crawling backwards on his hands, trying to escape his three pursuers with no avail. A swift kick to the head. A punch in the stomach. Knocking his colored pencils off his desk to the floor. And then the words. The words flying around. 'Fag.' 'Homo.' 'Freak.' He felt his mouth moving. Those words weren't coming from anyone else's mouth but his own. It felt wonderful to let it all out, yet still he felt his eyes move from the boy's eyes to his hair, so as not to make eye contact. That was when he truly noticed the hair. Perfect. The hair was a wonderful chestnut color, and it was perfectly coiffed and-_

Then Blaine was crying again. Full out sobbing loud painful sobs as the truth hit him full force. It was him. He was the bully. He was still that guy who had tortured this kid. This kid, for whom he had done so much for in the past year, was not just some random kid, but someone who he himself had tortured. He felt Burt and Liz snake their arms around him, but he tried to shrug them off. He didn't deserve them. He didn't deserve to be comforted. But that only caused them to hold on tighter.

"It was me. I was the bully. I'm the reason-" Burt cut him off.

"No Blaine. Don't you dare say it. You are NOT the reason Kurt did that to himself."

"But I am! I'm just like them! Just like those people I hate on all the time for not liking people who are different." By now he had stopped crying and was just shaking.

"Yes. Maybe you were just like those kids who actually did truly hurt Kurt. But you're not that kid anymore! You've changed. Look at all the people you've helped." Burt pointed to the big board with the total updated every five minutes of how many lives The Kurt Hummel Plan had saved. "You are not like them anymore! You moved past it, and you have redeemed yourself and we forgive you for what you did! Everybody has skeletons in their closets Blaine." Blaine nodded and Liz handed him a tissue before taking one herself. After blowing his nose and wiping his face, Blaine chuckled.

"Gosh. All you guys have seen me do tonight is cry. I promise I'm not usually this emotional." Liz laughed.

"Blaine, honey, you've had one hell of a night. A few tears are not sending us anywhere. Was there anything else you wanted to know or ask us?"

"Well, I'm still a little confused. Why exactly don't I remember Kurt?"

"Like I said Blaine, you were just a kid. I'm not sure how much you knew about your parents at that age, but things were rough at home. I would hear things in the carpool lane, at the doctor's office when I went for my treatments. Your parents almost got a divorce. They were separated for a little bit. That was why you ended up at a different middle school than all your classmates for a few months. Your mom sent you to a private Christian school for part your junior high years."

"Then the move the summer before high school." Liz nodded. "What treatments? Were you sick?"

"I'm a two time cancer survivor Blaine. The treatments were for chemo and radiation." Blaine felt his cheeks turn red. Why had he asked such a personal question?

"Don't worry about it Blaine. I'm proud of what I've accomplished." They shared a smile before Blaine took a deep breath and asked the one question that had existed since the start.

"What happened to keep your family from my family? Why did I not know who you guys were when I found the box in the attic?" Burt nodded.

"I was wondering when this question would come up. Kurt has always, had always been flamboyant if you may. I mean, we pretty much knew from the time he was three that he was gay. It didn't make us love him any more or any less, and you felt the same way. But, your parents did not feel the same way. This was around the time when your dad was running for office and having his son's best friend be a gay boy, well, it didn't go over well. So your parents began pulling away. The separation grew until I would pass Darrel or Heather in the supermarket and we wouldn't say a word to each other. I knew exactly how she felt about my family." Liz answered.

"There were never pictures. I wouldn't have even known what you guys looked like."

"I'm assuming that they tried to erase the memory of the little time that you and Kurt had been best friends altogether. So all the pictures and mementos went away." Burt gathered, then continued with the explanation.

"Well, your parent's separation, and the private school, and the job offer and move for your dad came at a very convenient time. So, your parents 'forgot' to send us your change of address, and kindly suggested that we never try to find you or them. We know how things went down with you and Kurt in elementary and middle school. It hurt having our son come home crying because a boy we had known since birth was picking on him and bullying him. But we always tried anyways. No matter how long the friendship lasted, you were the best friend that Kurt ever had. We could never find you. We assumed that it was all just better left in the past and we moved forward, without the people we had been close with for so long. But now, seeing what you're trying to do, in memory of our son, we knew that the time had come for us to find you. We knew that we had to meet you again, and reconnect, and when we got the call from the governor, we decided that here was as good a time as any to meet you."

"But I don't understand why you still want to know me. Sure, I'm doing all this now, but I'm still the same boy who tormented your son through school. Why don't you hate me?"

"Forgiveness Blaine. You were a child. There's some kind of silly quote about acting like a child when you're a child, but just remember that now that you've gotten older, it's time to grow up. We forgive you. And we're pretty sure Kurt would have too. He adored you Blaine. So much, that after he, did it, he left you a note also. I had forgotten about it until Elizabeth went and found it before we left. We never opened it, and it's time to pass it on to its rightful owner. So, here." And with that said, Burt handed Blaine a thin envelope with 'For Blaine' written in small writing across the front. Blaine fingered the thin calligraphy and sighed. Whatever this note said, it was his last connection to Kurt. Whatever this note said, could cause Blaine to reconsider TKHP or to further its outreach. It had that kind of power. Liz and Burt both hugged him.

"We think you should read it before your speech tonight. Maybe it has the answers in it that you've been searching for. Kurt was always unpredictable that way." Burt said.

"Keep in touch sweetheart. We don't want to lose our other son again. We love you. Thank you for not letting Kurt just be another name. Thank you for daring to move, for stepping out and trying to change things." And with that, Blaine was left sitting alone, with nothing but the small letter, the last connection to Kurt in his hands.

* * *

**I hope that you guys are getting this. Getting what a big deal this is. The letter is the next chapter, and then the epilague. How fast it feels like this story has gone by. But it's been almost a year since I began this journey. And it's made me figure a lot out. I hope it's touching you like it touched me. I'd love to hear from you. **

**This weeks question is this: If you could change one thing you say to someone, what would it have been? I'd love to hear your answers in my PM or in a review. Let me know what you're thinking.**

**Love,**

**Olivia**


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